Terravista Kicks Off Prep With Stakes Win
- Saturday, 23 August 2014 07:56
Terravista maintained his perfect first-up record and put himself on a path towards a Group One Melbourne sprint with an emphatic return in Saturday's Show County Quality at Randwick.
The five-year-old took his record to seven wins from 10 starts when he relished the heavy going to post a two- length win over In Cahoots with Bull Point another half length away third.
The placing was a small consolation for connections of Bull Point who wanted to scratch the horse when the rain came during the meeting but were denied by stewards because the track had not been downgraded.
Terravista will have two more Sydney runs in The Shorts on September 20 and Premiere Stakes a fortnight later before heading to Melbourne.
"If he's good enough to win both those races then I'd bypass the Salinger (Stakes) and go straight to the VRC (Darley) Sprint," Pride said.
"With all respect to his opposition he should take care of a field like that like he did today.
"But it's nice to see him come back and do it."
Terravista's victory ended Pride's sequence of minor placings in the Show County which had stretched for four years.
He also provided the first leg of a stakes double for the trainer with his half brother Tiger Tees claiming the feature Warwick Stakes 40 minutes later.
Hugh Bowman was rapt with Terravista's performance and said while the horse was tested over 1500m last campaign, Pride's decision to restrict him to sprints this spring was the right one.
"I think you'll see him take the next step over these shorter distances," Bowman said.
"That was just what you want to see today."
